Waubonsie`s Success Is A Nice Surprise

Nobody thought at the start of the season that Waubonsie Valley`s baseball team had a chance for a great year. Least of all the Warriors themselves.

``We expected to make a run at the conference (title),`` said their coach, Lin Dailey. ``But I would have had a hard time believing this.``

The Warriors hit the ground running, thanks to senior Mike Fagerson`s no- hitter in the season opener against Burlington Central. They won their first 12 games and are 19-2, good enough for the No. 9 ranking in The Tribune poll. Their 12-2 record in the Little Seven Conference has put them in a commanding position for an outright league title, a distinction that has slipped away the last two years.

``That (opening) win gave us some confidence and it just snowballed,``

said Dailey. ``We`ve had our fair share of close games, but we`ve been winning them.``

The typical Waubonsie Valley game this year has been a microcosm of the season: the Warriors jumping to a quick lead and then relying on strong pitching and tight defense.

In the team`s second game of the season, Blaine Clemmens (4-2) two-hit Burlington Central. In his second start, Fagerson (7-0, 1.01 earned-run average) had a no-hitter through six innings against Glenbard North. Junior Kirk Salek (6-0) has been a ``pleasant surprise`` to Dailey and has one- and two-hitters to his credit.

``He really improved in his last couple of outings last summer,`` said Dailey of Salek. ``He moved up another notch.``

``He`s mentally tough,`` said Fagerson. ``It doesn`t matter what inning it is, he throws the same. He keeps the hitters off stride.``

``I`m surprised at my own stats,`` said Salek. ``I`m not overpowering so I have to keep the ball low. A lot of the credit has to go to the defense. The pitchers have a lot of confidence in the fielders.``

Especially strong in the field have been second baseman Mark Lambert, shortstop Mark Dwyer, third baseman Jeff Stufflebeam, center-fielder Scott Hromadka and catcher Mark Ronek.

``It (the defense) has been the biggest surprise,`` said Fagerson, who also describes himself as a finesse pitcher. ``There haven`t been many errors and they`ve made all the routine plays.

``That helps a lot, especially late in the game if you don`t have much left on the mound. You can just keep throwing strikes and let the defense do the rest. You can relax.``

On offense, Fagerson, who plays right field when he`s not on the mound, has 30 runs batted in and is hitting .495, although he says ``so far, I`ve come up a lot with the bases loaded and haven`t delivered.``

Leadoff man Lambert, a senior, has stolen 22 bases in 21 games. Junior left-fielder Bob Vozza, a .400 hitter, has started a lot of Warrior rallies. Dwyer is hitting .360.

``We`ve been more aggressive this year,`` said Lambert, who along with Fagerson are the only two returning starters. ``We`ve got a lot of speed throughout our lineup.

``We`re confident, not cocky. If one guy`s down somebody else can pick him up. We don`t look ahead. We look at each team as a threat.``

``This isn`t the most talented group I`ve had,`` said Dailey. ``But this is definitely the hardest-working team. We`ve been winning the tough games. If we can keep playing like we have been, we`ll have as good a chance as anybody.``